Ruby Duke describes herself as “persistent,” but that’s only
one of many traits essential to being a farmer, charcutier, designer, mother of
two and wife. Charcutier? you
ask. That’s the pork butcher responsible for preparing the bacon, sausages,
pâtés and terrines we know (and love) as charcuterie. In partnership with her
husband, Sather—also her collaborator on the design of interiors and furniture
for their formerly Brooklyn-based company, hivemindesign—Ruby runs Raven &
Boar farm in East Chatham, NY. Since 2009, they have been raising
heritage-breed pigs in a woodland setting and are now building a facility on
the farm, one of very few certified kitchens in the area, to scale up
production of their Hudson Valley Charcuterie.

“It’s inspiring for us to know that we can raise the
animals, make the products and sell them ourselves,” says Ruby, “but it’s also
deeply meaningful that this hard work creates a sustainable model for our farm
and family.”

This journey has taught her how difficult it is to make
something from source to finished product; the ongoing challenge is to
communicate its singular value to customers. Luckily, those smoked pork
rillettes speak for themselves.